Page 18 of Kissing the Kelpie

The whoosh of the whip slices through the air, cracking just before it slashes against Finn’s flesh. My mouth drops and fear wrings my heart as the strike hits. An inhuman squeal pierces the air, and Finn stumbles from side to side. I think the vines around his legs are the only thing keeping him off the ground.

“Stop!” I yell, rushing forward and jumping between the two.

Tears form and burn my eyes. What the hell is happening? This isn’t like Em. Yes, he’s my guardian, but he doesn’t hurt people for the sake of being cruel.

Finn, on the other hand, was underhanded and has proven to be a threat to Ana and me by making it into the forest undetected, but not for one second was he mean or hurtful. He hid important information, but I can’t believe he did anything so bad he deserves to be tortured. At least not by Em.

He deserves to face consequences, maybe even some sort of punishment, but of a different sort, coming from me. He didn’t tell me the whole truth about who and what he is. But would I have believed him if he did? Maybe not. Probably not.

Finn may not be human. He may appear to be a vile creature, but he’s a gentle one for all that. Unless, of course, he’s trying to knock you up. He didn’t hurt me in any way that threatened my life or in any way that I didn’t enjoy.

“Get out of the way.” Em sneers, the skies above turning gray like his mood.

“No.”

I look at Finn’s blue eyes. I don’t know if he won’t look at me or if he doesn’t have the strength to. His eyes have lost their twinkle. They look dull, almost lifeless. I rush to Finn’s side and throw my arms around the horse’s neck as Em warns me to get away and keep my distance.

I stand my ground. I can’t allow Em to kill him. Finn loves me. I know he does. I’m not sure how I know, but I do. I glance at the bracelet I fixed on my wrist before leaving my house. I think I understand why he wanted it on me at all times. I can’t be sure unless I speak to him, and if he’s trapped as a horse or, worse, dead, I’ll never get the answers I need.

Finn lets out a weak whine as he touches his head to the crook of my neck. He nuzzles against me as much as he possibly can. Without thinking, I reach my arm around and stroke his soft, velvety nose.

“Move, Masha, or I will move you.”

“No.” My eyes fill with tears. “I’m angry that he lied,” I explain to Em. “But I swear he didn’t hurt me.”

“Because I saved you. Masha, he’s a killer. He killed an innocent woman and left nothing but her liver on the shore. He tricks people and drowns them before tearing them to shreds.”

I look at the trapped animal. He won’t meet my eyes. A chill runs up my spine because I have no doubt he’s capable of it. Even as a human, he’s sculpted like a flesh-covered statue. But no, I can’t believe he did it. He’s too sweet. Too gentle.

“It wasn’t him.” I plead my case to Em, but I see he isn’t buying it. “Please, give me a chance to speak to him and get some answers.”

“I tried. He isn’t volunteering anything, and the fae magic in him blocks me from reading his mind.”

Em looks at me with his lips pressed together. I wondered how Finn bypassed Em’s detection. Even if he couldn’t read Finn’s mind, he should’ve been able to read mine.

“Can you hear me?”

“Only if you scream your thoughts. I gave him every chance, Masha. For you. I even searched for his silver chain. If I had it, maybe I could give him a chance to explain himself, but he hid it so well I can’t find it, and without it, I can’t take a chance that he won’t hurt you.”

“You mean this?” I pull the silver chain out of my dress.

Em doesn’t try to hide his surprise. “Where did you get that?”

“He gave it to me.” Em’s mouth opens in disbelief. He looks like he’s about to say something, but I stop him before he has a chance. “He didn’t have to. I didn’t know about it, but he gave it to me anyway. Voluntarily.”

“Masha, you don’t understand what kelpies do.” Em looks troubled. Horrified. “Once you touch him . . .”

“What? They muddle your brain? Hypnotize you?”

Em shakes his head. His eyes narrow, and he takes a step back. “You’re touching him. You touched him before.”

I squeeze my eyes closed. I didn’t want to get into this now. First, I need to save Finn’s life, then I can deal with the ramifications of our primal actions.

“We can talk about that later, but I don’t see how we’re that different from you and Erin.”

Em closes in on us, and Finn trembles against me. “You’re touching him now,” Em says as if it doesn’t make sense. “And you’re not sticking to him.” The leshy looks confused.

“I didn’t stick to him when you pulled him off me either.”

---